Biochemical

Quick Description:
Product Name:2, 4-Dinitrophenol
Alias: DNP
CAS No: 51-28-5
MF: C6H4N2O5
MW: 184.11
Purity: 98%
Appearance: Light Yellow Crystals Buff monoclinic crystal. Soluble in hot water, ethanol, ethyl ether, acetone, toluene, benzene, chloroform and pyridine insoluble in cold water. Can with water vapor volatilization, heated sublimation.
Description:
2,4-Dinitrophenol is used in the manufacture of dyes, wood preservatives, and as a pesticide. The acute (short-term) effects of 2,4-dinitrophenol in humans through oral exposure are nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness, headaches, and loss of weight. Chronic (long-term) oral exposure to 2,4-dinitrophenol in humans has resulted in the formation of cataracts and skin lesions, weight loss, and has caused effects on the bone marrow, central nervous system (CNS), and cardiovascular system. Limited or no information is available on the developmental, reproductive, or carcinogenic effects of 2,4-dinitrophenol in humans. EPA has not classified 2,4-dinitrophenol for carcinogenicity.
DNP was first used for fat loss in the 1930s, with the most prominent DNP doctor of the day administering 350 mg/day, and commercial products typically providing 100 mg per capsule. An estimated 100,000 people used DNP during this period; some unknown but substantial number of deaths occurred, and about 2.5% of users developed cataracts. The FDA soon pulled DNP from the American market, thus ending its first period of use.
The Soviet Union, however, recognized a quite valuable use for DNP. For soldiers under conditions of extreme cold, DNP administration could increase their body heat production. I don’t know the extent of their use of DNP for this purpose, but for example DNP capsules could make a potentially life-saving addition to a cold-weather survival kit. (I would do this myself in such a situation, though personally in no other case would I use DNP.)